Huawei Mate 20 Pro reinstated to the Android Q beta program
Last week, we told you that Google had removed the Huawei Mate 20 Pro from its list of phones that are part of the Android Q beta program. This, of course, came after the U.S. put Huawei on the Commerce Department's Entity List. This prevents the company from sourcing anything from state-side suppliers without a license granted by the U.S. government. Google originally cut ties with Huawei which led to the removal of the Mate 20 Pro from the program.
But once the U.S. offered a 90-day limited reprieve, Google did so too. So today we can tell you that Google has returned (via Android Police) the Huawei Mate 20 Pro to the Android Q beta program. Huawei also was reinstated by the SD Association and the Wi-Fi Alliance, both of which will make life a little easier for its new phones. With today's news, it appears that Android 9 Pie won't be the last Android build found on Huawei's 2018 flagship handset. It doesn't appear likely that the Mate 30 line, due out later this year, will even be equipped with the Android operating system pre-installed. Huawei's own OS will probably be running on the new models.
Despite the chaos and the problems that Huawei has been facing, the interesting thing is that this can all go away quickly. Being placed on the Entity List was in response to the fear that Huawei could be forced by the communist Chinese government to spy on its behalf. But at the same time, President Donald Trump has suggested that Huawei could be used as a bargaining chip in any U.S.-China trade talks. With the two countries embroiled in a nasty trade war, Trump could dangle the removal of Huawei from the Entity List in return for more favorable terms. China, too, could use Huawei as a pawn by demanding that the U.S. remove the company from the list before it agrees to negotiate.
Speaking of lists, being put on the Android Q beta list means that a phone can download beta versions of the next-gen Android build. Other phones on the list include:
- Asus ZenFone 5Z
- Essential Phone
- LG G8 ThinQ
- Nokia 8.1
- OnePlus 6T
- Oppo Reno
- realme 3 Pro
- Sony Xperia XZ3
- TENO SPARK 3 Pro
- Vivo X27
- Vivo NEX S
- Vivo NEX A
- Xioami Mi 9
- Xioami Mi Mix 3 5G
- Pixel 3
- Pixel 3 XL
- Pixel 2
- Pixel 2 XL
- Pixel
- Pixel XL
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